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New Additions To The Aquarium Not Eating

mark4785

Member
Joined
4 Jan 2011
Messages
451
Location
Derbyshire, UK.
Today I bought a pair of German Blue Rams (one male and one female). I thoroughly checked the pair while they were in the LFS aquarium for gaunt bodies, Hole-in-the-head and any other issues. Based on appearance they ticked all of the boxes and I was reassured by the LFS employee that they were eating 'tabs'.

When they had been bagged up I returned home via car with the climate control set to 28 degrees C so the temperature of the transparent flimsy bag of water containing the Rams did not fall dangerously low; the bag was also placed in a cotton bag so that changes in light didn't stress them.

After having got home, I removed the transparent bag from the cotton bag and both of the fish were very colourful and there were no 'black tar marks' which was, as far as I was concerned, a good indicator that they were not stressed at all.

I then spent 3 hours drip-acclimatising them to a planted aquarium which, due to the co2 injection, would probably have a much lower PH level than that of the bagged water. I fed them whilst I was drip-acclimatising and noticed that they were spitting out the food. I tried flake, freeze-dried blood worm, pellet and tabs; all of it they spat out as though I'd fed them something horrible. Also take note that they spat out a tab which was something they were supposed to be eating according to the LFS employee. This constant spitting out of food as continued throughout the day whilst they were actually roaming the aquarium so I decided to turn the light off as the whole experience was perplexing and stressful.

So there you have it, I spent £12.00 on a pair of GBR and they won't eat. What is the deal here? Do I have yet another pair of Dwarf cichlids with intestinal hellminths (hexamita)?

Aquarium water stats: The ammonia and nitrite levels are 0 ppm. The temperature is 27.8 degrees C.
 
The fact that they're trying to eat tells me they're not happy with the food itself. Try some live food lkke bloodworm or daphnia to get them eating, then stop feeding for a couple of days and try them on the flake food again.
 
I agree with Henry, I've kept Apistogramma Hongsloi, A.cacatuoides and Rams before, they never usually felt like eating the first few days, so I usually let them be and after 3 days or so start feeding frozen/live food to encourage them to eat.

I wouldn't worry about them not feeding for a few days, they're more hardy than people make them out to be from personal experience. Although, they may spit the foodd back out they may actually still be eating. Being a Earth Eater they will go through the substrate sifting through it for fallen food, providing you have sand as substrate that is. In fact you can often associate the eating, spitting, eating etc to their action of spitting sand, sifting it for food. This another reason why some people will breed apistos and rams with some sand in their aquariums to encourage this sort of eating habit/behaviour as they do in the wild. That being said, it could really just mean your Rams dislike your food or are not used to eating it.

Right now don't be tempted to to overfeed in hopes of getting them to eat, this will just lead to water problems. Just feed regular amount for the other inhabitants and you may see them eat when they're comfortable especially if they see others eat.
 
Maybe try placing some cheap shrimp in the tank.
Those I have kept were fond of live cherry shrimp and I have load's ,so not too worried bout losing a few.
Have alway's waited a day or two before offering food to new fishes.
Black worm's,red worm's,white worm's ,were all taken by these fishes.
New life spectrum pellet's for small fish worked/work's well for me.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback. It is very reassuring.

I think I'll give it several days, as suggested, before feeding them. When I do feed them I'll put some de-frosted daphnia and small blood worm in.

I'll make it known that so far I've tried Hikari micro pellets, Nutrafin Max Baby Fish Formula, Nutrafin Max Tropical Micro Granules, Hikari Sinking Wafers, Ocean Nutrition Discus Formula Pellets and freeze dried blood worm and they spit it all out. I've taken out the majority of the uneaten food; any remaining pieces will be eat by the Corydoras.

One thing I have noticed with the Rams is that they are pecking at pieces of bog wood and plants as though those things are it's source of food!

I will give it another 2 days and try them on the frozen food *fingers crossed*.
 
I've taken some pictures of the male GBR as I noticed a pin-prick sized white dot on the head. I'm not sure that the said dot should be there and I am thinking that it may be pus-filled. Anybody else agree with this assessment based on the picture evidence below?

yhr.gif


4u9.gif
 
Don't know about the dot but my Apistos always ate in that manner, lived happily spawning regularly. I presumed it was just the way they ate, they must be getting nourishment from it. Is their behaviour otherwise ok?
 
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